An Analysis of Birth Rate and the Fertility Rate of Women at Childbearing Ages

July 10, 2001

In the Republic of China, the primary goal of population control nowadays is to maintain a reasonable population growth and, more particularly, encourage young men and young women to get married and raise children at suitable ages (22-30), with a view to prevent the population from rapid degeneration and aging. The birth rate in Taiwan-Fuchien Area was at its peak in 1951 when it was 50.0‰. On the whole, the birth rate decreases year by year afterward, and it dropped to a low of 12.3‰ in 1998. The birth rate dwindles, because the government launched full-scale promotion of family planning in 1964 and took a positive approach to the implementation of population control policies, hoping to maintain a reasonable growth rate of population, enhance the quality of the population and achieve an even distribution of population.

I. In the year 2000, there were a total of 307,200 newborns in our country, indicating an 8.1% increase in the number of newborns as compared to that in the preceding year, as well as a crude birth rate of 13.8‰, higher than the average crude birth rate of the developed countries by 1.8 thousandths, but lower than the average crude birth rate of the developing countries by 11.2 thousandths.

The year 2000 saw a baby boom, as it ushered in the second millennium A.D., and more importantly, it was the year of dragon in traditional Chinese calendar. According to the date of occurrence of household registration, there were a total of 307,200 newborns in 2000, indicating an 8.14% increase (23,127 more) in the number of newborns as compared to that in the preceding year; the sex ratio was 109.4 (160,529 males and 146, 671 females), similar to the 109.5 of the preceding year. The crude birth rate in 2000 was 13.8 ‰, indicating a 0.9 thousandth increase as compared to that of the preceding year. However, the crude birth rate of the year 2000 was noticeably lower than the crude birth rate of 17.3‰ in the previous year of dragon (1988).

According to the 2000 World Population Data Sheet published by the American Bureau of Demography, our crude birth rate of the year 2000 was similar to that of South Korea (13.8‰), but higher than those of Germany (9.4‰), Japan (9.4 ‰), the United Kingdom (12.0‰), France (12.6‰) and Singapore (12.8‰), and lower than those of the United States (14.5‰), China (15.2‰) and Thailand (16.4‰). It shows that our crude birth rate in 2000 was higher than the average crude birth rate of the developed countries (11.0‰) by 1.8 thousandths, but lower than the average crude birth rate of the developing countries (25.0‰) by 11.2 thousandths.

II. At the time of the birth of newborns, the average age of the biological mothers was 28.2 years old, while the average age of the biological fathers was 31.9. The average ages of the biological mothers and fathers increased by 1.2 and 1.8, respectively, as compared to those in ten years ago.

In 2000, at the time of the birth of their newborns, the average age of the biological mothers was 28.18 years old, indicating an increase of 0.04 year as compared to that in the preceding year and an increase of 1.18 as compared to that in 1990. As regards the ages of the biological mothers, the biggest age group was those between 25 and 29, totaling 116,301, and amounting to 37.86% of the total number of the biological mothers at all ages. The age group of 30-34 came second, totaling 83,058, amounting to 27.04% of the total number of the biological mothers at all ages. The age group of 20-24 came third, totaling 69,164, amounting to 22.51% of the total number of the biological mothers at all ages. There were 13,075 biological mothers who were under 20, representing 4.26% of the biological mothers at all ages. Among the biological mothers under 20 years old, 163 of them were under 15. There were 38 biological mothers over 50 years old. When compared to the figures of the preceding year, the biological mothers over 45 years old increased by 20.16% -- the biggest increment. The increase in the number of biological mothers between 40 and 44 years old came second (18.84%), followed by the increases in the number of biological mothers between 35 and 39 (14.58%) as well as the number of biological mothers between 20 and 24 (11.56%).

The year 2000 saw the biological fathers had an average age of 31.87 years old at the time of the birth of their newborns, indicating an increase of 0.20 year as compared to that in the preceding year and an increase of 1.75 as compared to that in 1990. As regards the ages of the biological fathers, the biggest age group was those between 30 and 34, totaling 113,711, and amounting to 37.02% of the total number of biological fathers at all ages. The age group of 25-29 came second, totaling 87,095, amounting to 28.35% of the total number of the biological fathers at all ages. The age group of 35-39 came third, totaling 58,485, amounting to 19.04% of the total number of the biological fathers at all ages. When compared to the figures of the preceding year, the biological fathers over 45 years old increased by 24.01% -- the biggest increment. The increase in the number of biological fathers between 40 and 44 years old came second (22.39%), followed by the increases in the number of biological fathers between 35 and 39 (14.75%) as well as the number of biological fathers between 20 and 24 (13.00%).

III. Among the babies born in 2000, about 46.6% of the newborns resulted from the first pregnancy, 36.7% of the newborns resulted from the second pregnancy. Newborns that arise from the third pregnancy or any subsequent pregnancy decrease by 4.0% in the past eight years.

Among the babies born in 2000, a total of 143,025 newborns (46.56% of all newborns) resulted from the first pregnancy, 112,735 newborns (36.70% of all newborns) resulted from the second pregnancy, 41,884 newborns (13.63% of all newborns) resulted from the third pregnancy, and 9,556 newborns (3.11% of all newborns) resulted from the fourth pregnancy or any subsequent pregnancy. As compared to the figures of the preceding year, the newborns that resulted from the first, the second, the third, the fourth and subsequent pregnancies increased by 10.94%, 4.67%, 7.59% and 12.23%, respectively.

As regards the proportions of pregnancies of different ordinals, in 2000 the proportion of the third or subsequent pregnancy was 16.74%, indicating a 3.99% decrease as compared to the proportion of 20.73% in 1992. It shows that, in our country, women get pregnant less often than before.

IV. Each woman at a childbearing age gives birth to 1.7 babies on average in 2000, indicating an increase of 0.13 babies as compared to that of the preceding year. The age group of 25 – 29 ranked the first (133‰), as far as fertility rate is concerned.

The fertility rate of the women at a childbearing age, that is, from 15 to 49 years old, is calculated by means of the number of newborns in a year and the mid-year number of women at a childbearing age. It denotes the average frequency of births attributable to the women at a childbearing age. The total fertility rate is the total number of babies born by a woman after the woman has completed her period of childbearing. The calculation of the total fertility rate takes account of the age-specific fertility standard of in the year, and it assumes that there is no stillbirth and that the death rate of newborns is zero.

In Taiwan-Fuchien Area, the total fertility rate of the women at a childbearing age was 1.68 persons in 2000, indicating an increase of 0.13 persons as compared to that of the preceding year. The Taiwanese total fertility rate is similar to that of Britain (1.7 persons), higher than that of Germany, Japan (1.3 persons), South Korea and Singapore (1.5 persons), but lower than that of France, China (1.8 persons), Thailand (1.9 persons) and the United States (2.1 persons). The Taiwanese total fertility rate is 0.18 persons more than the average total fertility rate of the developed countries (1.5 persons), but 1.52 persons less than the average total fertility rate of the developing countries (3.2 persons).

As regards the age-specific fertility rate of the women in 2000, the age group of 25 – 29 ranked the first (133‰), the age group of 30 – 34 came second (90‰), and the age group of 20 – 24 came third (72‰). As compared to the age-specific fertility rate of in the preceding year, the eight thousandth increase in the fertility rate of the age group of 30 – 34 (eight thousandths) is the biggest of its kind, the age group of 25 – 29 ranked the second (a seven thousandth increase in fertility rate), followed by the age group of 20 – 24 (six thousandth).